- Eleventh Petal -

Laughter

With each falling petal, Kanda smiles wryly.

It is a perfectly normal evening in the cafeteria of the Black Order headquarters, with white-robed Finders and black-garbed Exorcists chatting softly and having their dinners. Wisps of the scent of fresh food, prepared by the cheerful cook, welcome the scene that many now call home. Rows of benches, seating the relaxing diners, cross the long hall in the midst of a hazy dusk light streaming weakly through the dusty glass windows. Two male Exorcists, clearly friends, one with silvery hair who gazes into the crowd and the other with vivid red hair focused on his bowl, huddle near the corner and hold a quiet conversation.

"Lavi?"

"No, Allen, you can't have my ice cream sundae."

"That's not it, Lavi. It's just… Why is Kanda smiling?"

"WHHAAAAAT?? Yuu is smiling? You must be lying."

"No, I'm not! Look there."

"Ah, you're right! The ever-scowling Yuu-chan is smiling! THE WORLD IS COMING TO AN END!!"

"Lavi, calm down! People are staring."

"Oh, sorry, sorry."

Silence ensues. The redhead finishes the rest of his dessert in one gulp. Stealing a glance at the blue-haired Exorcist (still finishing his soba noodles and sipping his green tea) with his one green eye, he thoughtfully puts his pewter spoon down with a small clatter.

"Maybe someone told Yuu a joke."

"Kanda hates jokes. Remember the last time you told him the one about the parrot and the parakeet—"

"Don't remind me, Allen! I still have the cuts when Yuu attacked me with his sword. It was so scary…"

"That's why you never should have taken advantage of Kanda's confusion with two similar English words."

"How was I supposed to know Yuu couldn't properly pronounce 'parrot' and 'para—'"

"He's approaching our way!"

"OH SHIT, ALLEN, HE HEARD US!"

"Quick! Pull out a book."

"A book?"

"You're the apprentice of the Bookman. Surely you carry around at least one book somewhere. It'll serve as a distraction."

"Good idea, Allen. I never knew the moyashi could have such a brilliant mind!"

The white-haired Exorcist splutters briefly in anger before forcing his attention on the item the other is pulling out of his jacket.

"Let's see… I have How to Avoid Being Killed by a Sword-Wielding Madman and Live to Tell the Tale, Third Edition."

"That's good! Now open it and put it in front of both of us before—"

"Shhhhhhhhhhh! Read!"

Tensely, both lapse into a second silence as they clasp the tattered book (held upside down) and stare without seeing at the page in front of them. The Exorcist known as Kanda calmly walks past them without a word or even sparing half a glance. Indeed, a grim smile is plastered onto his gaunt, sallow face in which glassy black eyes, like old buttons, are set above sharply protruding cheekbones. His footsteps slowly recede into the distance.

"Whew, that was close…"

"Lavi, do you think he heard us?"

"Yuu would never let us off that easily if he did."

"But why was he smiling? Even while walking out the cafeteria?"

"Jeryy must have drugged his noodles."

"Lavi, don't joke."

"But didn't you see how pale he was? Yuu's not feeling well!"

"Maybe… that's probably why he just ignored us. He wanted to rest in his room. Kanda recovers quickly; he'll probably be well again tomorrow."

"Something's off, Allen. Yuu has been looking like this for a while. Ever since he and Marie returned from their latest mission, to be exact. But Marie looks perfectly fine."

"Come to think of it, Kanda has been acting strange recently as well… as in being even more reckless than usual."

"Ah, let's not worry about dear Yuu-chan so much, Allen. I'm sure he can take care of himself."

"You're right, Lavi. Kanda will be fine. He's… Kanda, after all!"

A/N: After reading Ernest Hemingway's short story "Hills Like White Elephants" (see Iceberg Theory on Wikipedia), I've always wanted to try writing something with purely dialogue with intermittent clumps of text. Which then somehow turned into a crack-ish chapter, at least to a certain extent. Wow… me, writing crack… Pigs should be flying outside your window about now.

While we witness this shocking scene, I'd like to acknowledge Ai Minamoto, pika318, Velvet Blindfold, Shinigami's Voice, koyuki-san, Belladonna-Isabella, azab, maddy midnight, michellehail44, chibi yoruichi, chibi.hazel-chan, Kuro666, and whiteninjaachemist for new/continued support as we head into the home stretch. Two more petals!

D.Gray-Man (c) Hoshino Katsura